Adjusting to High School

Webinar Transcription

2021-07-07 Adjusting to High School

[00:00:00] Hi, everyone. Welcome to CollegeAdvisor’s webinar on Adjusting to High School. To orient everyone with the webinar timing, we’ll start off with a presentation. Then answer your questions in a live Q and a on the sidebar. You can download our slides and you can start submitting your questions in the Q and a tab.

Now let’s meet our panelists. Um, okay, so hi guys. I am Monica, I can’t see you, but you can see me. It’s just making you feel a little bit weird. Um, but I’m a senior at Harvard studying AFCs, uh, which stands for art film and visual studies. I like to think it stands for America’s funniest home videos, um, and I’m an Aries and then I’ll pass it to fit.

Hi everyone. Um, I can’t see you guys either. Um, my name is Finn. I am a rising junior. At Harvard university, uh, studying theater, dance, and media, or TDM a with a secondary concentration in AFCs art from individual studies as well. And I’m a Gemini just in case you were to that.[00:01:00]

Great. Oh yeah. I’m in charge of the slides. Wonderful. Great.

Um, okay. So I guess the first question that we kind of like have to talk about is, um, how we felt when we first started high school. So I don’t know how many of you guys were like freshmen or first starting high school. Um, but I like actually transferred into a different school, like when I was supposed to, like, my old school continued from like eighth grade to senior year, but I transferred.

And so I was like, one really afraid about like making friends, but also I had this like misconception about high school. Um, I thought that like, everything I did in high school had to be only for the purpose of getting to college. So I was like, oh my God, I need to join every single club. And I take every, every AP class.

Um, but at the same time, like, I didn’t really know what that meant. It was just like things people are telling me about like getting into college, but I was like, what does that even mean? Um, so it was just like, it was a time, but, um, yeah. Yeah. So I feel like I was the complete opposite. So I actually also, I transferred [00:02:00] halfway through freshman year.

Um, Which was crazy. Um, cause yeah, I didn’t, I didn’t like the first high school, so I said, okay, we’re moving to a different one. Um, but I was just like school, like messing around, you know, kind of like doing whatever I wanted, um, and, and doing the things that I enjoyed. Um, so I wasn’t, you know, I, wasn’t thinking about my grades super critically and I wasn’t thinking about my extracurricular super critically.

I was just kind of like taking the classes that I wanted to take and taking, you know, doing the extracurriculars that I wanted to do. Um, And that I think actually really worked out for me because you know, the, one of the things that you hear in college admissions, um, time and time and time again, is just to like follow your passion.

Right. And explore that passion and take that passion like to the next level. And that’s very much so something that I. Stumbled upon it and did, because I wasn’t really, you know, there was no intent when I was first going into things. So yeah, that’s, that’s my story. Okay. Oh, what surprised you [00:03:00] most about high school?

This isn’t this weird format where we’re like interviewing ourselves. I’m like, oh, like I have a question. What surprised me most about high school was like the number of things you can do. So, like, as I said before, when I went to high school, I was. I thought there was a formula for getting into college.

So I was like, oh, I have to do like national honor society, whatever that is. Um, but like the reality is, is that like, there’s so many things to do in heart, in high school. And like, there’s no better time to start than like now. Um, like literally I feel like there’s so many, you guys you’re like, oh my God, I’m too old to like, start something new.

It’s like, no, no. In five years you’re going to be like, I should have started five years ago. Literally me I’m learning jingle bells on the piano. It’s like a time we don’t have to worry about that later. But I mean, there’s like so many things. It’s just why like, Like with fin and saying that I really liked how he didn’t feel like he had to do something because that’s how he discovered his passion.

Whereas like, I, since I already thought that there was something I had to do, I didn’t know that I could have been a theater kid. I didn’t know [00:04:00] that, like I could have become bilingual. I didn’t know that, like I could have done ROTC. I was like, I’m going to like take an AP class. And it was like, womp them.

So as well with my life, like, there’s so many things in high school. Um, and if you don’t have the opportunities that you want, like you can definitely make them. So that’s like, what’s surprised me most about high school. What about you fin for me, I was so surprised that it could be enjoyable. Like that sounds like so sad, but, but it’s true.

Right. I feel like when I was in middle school and like in lower school, I would look at the high school kids and hear about the sat in scare quotes and be terrified of like what that meant and that I was going to be inadequate and you know, all of these things. Um, but you know, And this is the thing, I don’t know.

I don’t know where I’m all of you watching, like where you kind of are in your, um, like school progression. Um, but if you are like rising freshmen, you know, it’s high school, just like isn’t that serious, right. Um, it’s, it’s, it will be challenging, certainly will be really hard at times, but it’s something that like [00:05:00] every high school, you know, every, every person, our age right.

Um, in the world goes through. And so, you know, it’s, it is going to meet you where you’re at. Uh, and if you feel out of your depth, right? Like there are resources to deal with that. Um, and so to that end, like try not to be overwhelmed, try not to be afraid and, and try to kind of like find the levity and the light, um, within that high school experience.

Okay. So what scares you most about high school? Oh my God. Okay. I feel like a lot of you are on the same page as me, but yeah. Failing scared me so much. Um, just because like my personal background, like I literally like opiate, like who is it be like, I don’t know who she is. I was not allowed to meet her ever.

Um, so it was just like very scary going into this being like, oh no, like people w will see these transcripts. Um, but I think it’s also important to Matt, like to remember that if you’re really worried about like high school and like you have received a bad grade, it’s like so important that like high school is structured, not in a way [00:06:00] that measures your value.

It’s not structured in a way that measures your intelligence at times. It’s literally just like how much information can you retain? And like regurgitate it later, which is like, it’s not structured to the best of everyone’s abilities. Um, which is why there’s so many other opportunities in high school to prove yourself.

Um, so like I got like literally like a D in AP physics and an AP Euro on like both my final exams and I was really worried about it. But then I was like, you know what? Like, I don’t even like these subjects. Like they don’t matter to me. And there’s like so many other ways that I can prove my worth in a way that like measures me as like who I am.

Um, so that was like kind of reassuring for me, but it was really scary, like feeling the first time. And then the second half of that, um, is also just like what other people thought of me, especially my parents, um, my peers, because I feel like half of high school is like seeking approval and then the other half is like crying because you don’t have it.

Um, so that’s like kind of where I will. Well, my God wait, also just saying, but AP physics is a rather difficult AP guys. So you guys are thinking of AP physics. Don’t do it. [00:07:00] If you want to do it, I’m like, let’s think about it anyway. Um, yeah, I think I mentioned this in the last slide, but like my, what scared me most was I had just like high school itself.

Right. I was afraid of the kids, um, of being bullied, which now looking back, I know it was, I was looking back, it’s like, oh, that’s so silly. Right? Like they, you know, it was just a silly, um, or like, I’m also a little afraid of the kids, um, the youth anyway. Um, but yeah, it’s like, I think, I think very much so like, if you haven’t been in high school at all, you have no idea of what it’s like.

And so that, that unknown, you know, is, is so scary. Um, and that’s super valid. That’s super valid, but also like, you know, you don’t need to, like, it will be okay basically. Okay. Okay. I’m like, I’m remembering, always that I have to turn the page. I’m like, so glad that like, you’re the [00:08:00] one assigning the roles earlier.

I was like, I don’t know how to turn the page. So where did you find systems of support through the high school experience? So this will be different for everyone, but like where I find support, you can also like, think of that as an option for you. Um, for me personally, it did not come from my family. If your family is supportive, that’s like huge to have that in your corner.

But if they’re not, um, I’m just going to tell you it’s going to be okay. Um, but for me, they weren’t, um, very healthy. I didn’t really. Like come from a background where like, I felt like I could tell my family things. Um, it was just more like a given that I would exist and they would exist, but we would both do well existing if that makes any sense.

But I was lucky enough to have like a very healthy and solid friend group that crafted my experience. Um, like I said, a lot of high schools like try to fit in and sometimes you’re afraid to start new clubs. If you don’t like, have anyone with you, like I live and be like, Hey, what are you wearing on the first day of school?

Cause like, I don’t want to, I want to know what you’re wearing so I can play on what I’m wearing. Like that’s how I was. So just having like friends there to like know that I wasn’t alone was really [00:09:00] helpful. Um, and then I was also really lucky to meet teachers who like genuinely wanted to be teachers. I think this came from being in a public school because I feel like public school teachers, like, you know, that they have to care to be there because they’re teaching at a public school aside from like the three who like really like, they don’t have a good rep.

Um, but like, yeah, I just was lucky enough to find those teachers. And if you’re afraid to approach your teachers, I think it’s important to remember that like the majority of. Want to be teachers like, that’s why they’re there. It’s definitely not for like the lucrative pay and like the cloud. It’s like, no, that there, because they want to teach.

Um, so they can be a great support system for you and you shouldn’t be afraid of them. Um, and then, um, like lastly, I don’t know about y’all like everyone, like kids these days, they have discord, they have tech talk like Twitch, like be aware of strangers on the internet. But I had like a lot of online friends on like Reddit and like Neopets, if anyone plays that game, add me.

Um, but it was like a very supportive community online as well. Cause it was also like an escape from like reality and that I could talk to like my friends online, but like, literally didn’t know who I was, but they like still [00:10:00] cared about me. Um, and then sometimes your counselor can be a support system, but for me personally, it wasn’t so like to your own discretion.

Yeah, absolutely. I just want to, uh, second that teacher thing. Um, because also I think I had this later in the slides, but I’ll just say it now because it’s, it’s important. Um, like. Your teachers are people. Right? I feel like when I was in high school a little bit, and definitely when I’m in college, I go into my classes yes.

To learn. But also I’m like, okay, I want to be friends with my teacher. And that’s like the most dweeb thing to say, but also, right. Like that’s going to help you, like, get a better grasp on the material. It’s going to help you, frankly. I mean, this is like a little bit of a quid pro quo situation, but like, it’s going to help you get better grades.

Right. You’re going to like, that’s going to benefit you in terms of like, uh, your letters of recommendation. And then also chances are your teachers are actually like just cool people. So it’s worth your while to like, get to know them. Um, And then the other thing is that Mona and I did, uh, coordinate that we were going to vote for black.

So that’s all. [00:11:00] Um, but, uh, thanks bill haunts me to this day. I’m sorry. I know what people are wearing, having a bed. I would agree and say that my teachers were really like my support system and also like my different communities. Um, I had really wonderful teachers that, that cared about their teaching and cared about their students.

And so I felt like I could, you know, turn to them and ask questions when things were difficult, um, which I did on a number of occasions, you know, as I was prepping for tests as I was doing assignments, you know, that was something where I could, you know, rely on those, on those people as resources. And then the other thing is like, uh, I did a lot of theater.

And for those of you who do theater in the crowd, uh, you know, that there’s like this big community that really formed a special call. Yeah. Call definitely not a call. It’s definitely a community. Um, anyway, um, but, but like being able to, to have that as like a, uh, uh, you know, quote unquote safe space, um, or [00:12:00] just like somewhere that I could return to and, and be, um, happy in an end, you know, there were seniors there that I felt like I could approach because we were both in hairspray the musical together.

Right. Um, you know, and so that, I think really, really helped me find, you know, support and community and everything I needed to like, not feel lost in. Oh, oh, I would also add, oh my gosh. Oh, okay. I’ll do after the poll. I’ll do, I don’t know. You can keep talking. The results will be slowly coming, but I will also add that.

Like, if you feel that you’re in a community that is not supportive, um, you should like, if you can, you should definitely like try and like leave it to find a more supportive one because an unsupportive community. Yeah. Just as harmful to you as like, as helpful as a part of community is. I don’t know if that sentence made sense.

Um, but for instance, like I was on a swim team and I just felt like, um, I switched swim teams, but like the first one I was on, it was just like a very toxic vibe. And I never felt like I could confide in my captain. Like I [00:13:00] felt like they didn’t really care about me and like my teammates, like also didn’t care.

Um, so I ended up switching teams and I like didn’t realize how much that would’ve helped me because it’s like, so like you spend so much, I spent so much time with these people, like two hours every day, plus like every weekend. And it’s like, when I’m constantly around people that I don’t feel like I can open up to, or that are opening up to me.

Cause it’s like a two way street. Um, like it wasn’t healthy at all. So if you’re like in a friend group or you’re like, you want to like switch out of a class to like a different period, um, that’s also an option too. It’s just as important to like leave the communities that aren’t helping you as it is to like find.

And that’s like a thing that like lasts her life too. Um, yeah. Also shout out a bunch of you, a rising ninth graders. So, um, this is like we’re here for you. Um, awesome. Awesome. Yeah. Yeah. The 58% are rising ninth graders. So that makes sense. Given the, uh, the webinar. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, there’s a pricing amount of rising 11th graders.

So y’all I see you. I see we’re out here. Everyone’s adjusting to high school [00:14:00] until the day you graduate. So literally sometimes I still feel like I’m adjusting to high school, which is like, like I have a prom this winter and I’m like, you guys just spend four years like prom at college. I’m like brought back.

Yeah. It’s just a lot of like PTSD happening here. Like I’m just, I’m just trying to balance Mona. We’re going to have to talk about this afterwards. Okay. Cool. Okay. Um, okay. So what new challenges came up for you during sophomore, junior and senior year? Oh my gosh. Okay. So those are, the bullets are so long because we went through every year, those small compared to things I’m like, so, sorry, this is going to be like a little bit of a longer answer, sit tight.

Um, but sophomore year it’s like usually regarded as the easiest year because like freshman year, like everything’s new. So it’s going to be pretty hard, but sophomore year, like you’ve done it once. So you feel more familiar. So the only like hardest change for me. Was kind of like just taking harder classes.

Like the classes just got harder, APS opened up. Um, but then I feel [00:15:00] like sophomore year also socially, it’s like, there’s more of an urgency. Like you feel the fit in like outside and internal pressure just because it’s like, oh my God, I’ve been here for a year and I still don’t have like a friend group.

Like what do I do? So that was kind of me. Um, and then junior year, it was like the hardest year for me, both academically and socially for me personally. Cause I had spent like freshmen and sophomore year with people. I like really didn’t like, but I also really didn’t like, not like, you know what I mean?

Like I didn’t hate them, but I didn’t like those. I was like, you know, I need to like find better people and like just like be better for myself. So that’s what I was like pretty hard socially. Um, but then also this is like literally the year where you take the most hard, like the hardest classes. Um, this is also the year where you have to be thinking about your like standardized tests because senior falls when you apply.

So you have to have like everything you need before senior fall. So that’s like junior spring. And so like, I honestly wish I just started the whole application process earlier, which is what I’ve written there. I’m just trying to like speed through and skim up. And yeah, I also feel like junior year was kind of like, just [00:16:00] hard because that’s like kind of the year for me personally, where I felt like I had to take up leader positions at my clubs, but I like totally underestimated how much time would actually take.

So I was like spread too thin being like, I was juggling like all these meetings. Um, I didn’t just manage time. Well, and it’s like new opportunities came up. Like the most opportunities for me came up junior year. It’s like the peak, um, of your high school. And then for senior year, like once you get past the fall, it was like easier for me, but then you hit something called like senior slump or like senior itus where you feel like no motivation to do anything.

Um, like I literally didn’t take any AP exams. Like it was, it was just a time. So I just feel like it went from like, it just, it was really like just the hill I’ve in junior year. It was like the peak where everything just filled out and whatever. Yeah, totally. I mean, I think for me, because I wasn’t thinking about college when I was first coming into, um, high school, like the thing that was like difficult for me was in sophomore year, I was like, oh, I should probably think about college.

Um, [00:17:00] which was a lot earlier. Yeah. I should probably like deal with this thing. Um, but I think that was a lot earlier than a lot of my peers were starting to think about it. So in that respect, I was, I was really lucky that that was when I started to approach it. Um, but I talked to my counselor and I was like, okay, well, I kind of want to go to these schools.

And at the time I was really like enamored with Yale and I was like, okay, well, what does it take to really like get in? And, and we had kind of like this really intense talk. Um, I talk that now I have like, with, with my advising students, um, about like, what does it actually take to go from point a to point B?

Um, and so to that end, like, I really. I kind of figured out, okay, well, this is what my extracurricular path and trajectory is gonna look like, maybe. Um, and this is what, you know, I, I started taking AP classes, so I took AP statistics. Um, for example, because I felt like it. Um, and I took AP psychology because it was offered and I thought it would be cool.

Um, And so like, that pressure really continued. Oh yeah. The [00:18:00] path off the path, because you’ve tried so many things, it’s just like, kind of like getting rid of what you don’t like, like dropping all those clubs. There’s like five clubs I did freshman and sophomore year that I like don’t even remember the names of it on my application, but it was like, I really UN did not show a paper.

It’s so funny. Cause you always say that, but Molly, you went in the newspaper were like the two things that I kept, I could feed her freshman year. This is like, oh my God, you just want a functioning, human being. Um, so. What did I leave off? Oh, so then the other thing that I would say, um, and again, this is another thing we talked about later on in the webinar.

Um, but I feel like one thing that that happened is as like, I started caring about college and sophomore year, when many of my peers were still just like, you know, um, you know, living in frivolity. And so they, um, you know, for a lot of people, sophomore year is the easiest year. And for me that was like [00:19:00] distinctly not true because I was handing out my extracurriculars and really going hard on my classes.

And so like sophomore year was challenging and junior year was challenging and then senior year was challenging until, you know, you

jump over that one. Yeah. And so I found myself like, kind of like going like, uh, like sliding away from a bunch of my tears, which I was kind of sad about. Um, so that’s the other thing is like, make sure to, to nurture those relationships and nurture those support systems. Right. Kind of like what we were talking about earlier, um, Okay.

What gets easier about high school and sophomore, junior and senior year. So I think I’ve talked a lot about like approval before, because I think like, yes, we all care about college, but like, from a real perspective, I think I cared more about like my social standing and what other people thought of me.

Like even more than my future, which is like, crazy to say, cause it’s like I should have cared and invested more in myself and like what other people thought of me. Um, but something that gets easier [00:20:00] is like, um, just like that approval for me personally, like I think something important that I saw on Tik TOK was like, before you wonder if people, even like you, like, you should ask yourself if you even like them.

Cause that changed so much for me. Like there, there are so many people that I was like, why don’t they like me? Like I want to be popular, blah, blah, blah. And then like, like why didn’t I, I didn’t even run for like prompt me, but like, why didn’t I like when president of like whatever, and then I was like, but like, do I even like the people that I want to like me?

Like, what is this smart? And it just got easier after that. And then academically, like I said before, school’s not really testing, like how smart you are. It’s just kind of like how well you can adapt to the way they want you to learn. So once you kind of like crack the system, um, like for me, like writing, it’s like a finally figured out how to write an essay.

And it was like, oh, like this way of writing works for me. Like I never read, like for me first, I was like, oh, I never write the intro first. Like always do it last after I do the conclusion. And it’s just like kind of cracking the system and learn. Um, gets like easier academically and also like time management.

You just, it’s something that you [00:21:00] just have to keep doing and get better at like, like sports win the knowledge. So I, there were probably some athletes other than the other staff practicing piano. Yes. Yes. Anyway, also I’m just saying that we Mona and I have been friends for multiple years now and we’re, I’m personally learning a lot right now because I gotta say I write the intro before I write anything else.

I have to have the intro written and I’ll come in and revise it. But like, that’s the thing. You have to figure out what works for you. Cause it’s like, if I were learning how Finland, then I would never learn. So it’s like high school is literally just figure out what works for you academically for me. Um, what got easier about like becoming a sophomore, junior and senior in high school is that you like to figure out?

Yeah, it’s actually similar. It’s like you figure out how the system works. And, and so each high school is going to be different. Like, like I cannot tell you how your high school is going to, excuse me, how your high school is going to be working. [00:22:00] But what I can tell you is that like, through just spending time in your high school, getting to know your peers, getting to know the people in the grades, above you, um, you know, getting involved in clubs, doing well in classes, doing poorly in classes, you’re going to become more and more familiar with, um, how high school works.

Right. Um, you know, like you, you grow a lot between the beginning of sophomore year and the end of sophomore year, and you kind of like go from being a middle schooler to like being a high school, or that’s really when that process takes place. Like, you’re, you’re technically a high schooler as, as a ninth grader, but as, as a sophomore, that’s really when you, when you become, when you blossom as a, as a high schooler, if you will.

Um, and so, yeah, I would say that that’s what gets easier as you just become more familiar and more comfortable in your own skin and you grow as a person. Um, totally. Oh my God. Yeah. Yeah. Um, if you’re struggling, what do you do? I feel like this sounds like I’m like stop, [00:23:00] drop, and roll. If you’re struggling, what do you do?

You just use like a protocol. Um, but I think that like, the first thing to remember is it’s so cliche, but now that I’m old, I can tell you, like, everything will pass. Like there are literally times in high school, like drama T fights, like talk to my teacher, like things with my parents. I was like, I’m never going to recover this.

I’m like, I can’t even remember like what that even was now. So like I, no matter how difficult something is, like, you need to realize that like you’re like 15, 16, 17 right now, but you will live like a good, like, hopefully like a good, like 67 more years. I don’t know about global warming, but like, you’ll live so many more years than you’ve already existed.

And it’s like such a small point in your life. But you’re kind of like going through it now that it will definitely pass. So I hope that gives you some kind of comfort. It definitely does for me, cause like there, like literally last week I was probably worried about something, but then like it passed by this week.

Um, so this too shall pass, um, Pinterest, that theme song. Um, and then I will also, I [00:24:00] will also add on that. Whatever happens to you. Like doesn’t have to follow you everywhere. Like, especially in high school, like you might feel like, oh, like, I don’t like who I like have made myself at VR. I don’t really like the things that I’m doing right now.

I think part of the reassuring thing for me about the whole, like this too shall pass was like in college, I was like very conscious of making this a clean slate. Um, like for myself, I was like, I want to get rid of like some of the things I’ve been forcing myself to do and like try new things. So you always will have a fresh start.

Um, no matter what, um, like I could even start a new, like next year if I wanted to, this was really comforting. And then, um, I think just in terms of struggling, I think the hardest part is like knowing what you need. And part of that, it’s like half of like, half of getting over a struggle is like, just knowing why you’re struggling.

And then once you find out like, what’s wrong, then you know, like what you’ll need. So for me, like what was wrong was I was like, oh my God, I feel awful all the time. It was like, oh, why is that? And then I was like, oh, it’s because I literally like never opened any emails. And that just adds so much stress [00:25:00] and anxiety.

So I just literally, like what helped me was just by unsubscribing to everything. And that’s so small that it took so much stress off. Cause like I wasn’t bothered by like every email notification hitting me or like always feeling I had to open it or like respond. Um, and now my inbox is clean. So that’s like just a small thing.

Um, I don’t know, Finn, do you have anything else? That’s where I’m at right now. I need to get my inbox subscribed from everything. It does wonder, like the rest, it doesn’t hang over you anymore and you stop spending money. Um, I would say for me, like, like if, if I’m struggling, like, or like if you’re struggling reach out to your support networks, right?

Like this way we went about, we were talking about earlier, the whole reason that you develop these support networks is so that when you need them, they’re there. Um, you know, so, so, so use them, um, And I wrote this, like, chances are someone else is facing or has faced like, you know, um, to burst the bubble, right?

Like you are unique, but not that unique. And so [00:26:00] in the best way possible, right. Then someone’s like had the problem that you’ve had. And so if you’re able to reach out to the people who struggled, you know, and gone through that one, that’s a new friend for you right there and brings people together, brings people together and then too, right.

Like that’s an opportunity for you to, um, just like, like learn how to deal with your situation. Right. And that’s more over like talk to your teachers because chances are your teachers have seen students who are dealing with what you’re dealing with or spoken to students who are dealing with what you’re dealing with.

And so they can provide, you know, just as helpful resource as you know, your peers. Right. Totally. Totally. Yeah. Oh,

I don’t like, is he pausing for dramatic theater majors? Okay. So how can students balance academic success with personal growth and happiness? Um, so I would say like, as much as we tell you, like, do your [00:27:00] passion, do what you love, do what you want. It’s just like a fact of high school and life that there are some things like you have to do, um, that you can’t change.

Like you have to eat your vegetables. Uh, no matter how would you like them? You have to like, for instance, like you have to take a glass and. You know, do the work that, that class assigns you. It’s not like, oh, but my passion is like, not doing classwork. It’s like, that’s fine. You can pursue your passion, but also do what you have to do at the same time.

Like I’m starting to break.

That was me. But my favorite class was, I always say invariably, so like, that’s just something that like, once you, once you accept that you have to do that. That’s part of balancing like, like academic success. But then the other thing is like, while there are things that you have to do, do not mistake that for things that people are telling you, you have to do.

Um, so like, if you feel like you have to do something because other people are doing it, or if you feel like you have to do something, because it looks good on a college resume, that’s not something you have to do. Um, unless you like, are genuinely interested in it. So [00:28:00] like part of just growth and happiness is literally like finding one thing that sparked some interest and then you like literally pursue it or you drop it and you learn more about yourself in every, every step of the way.

So like my number one tip, like, of course, like whatever, like study, take your tests, your grades, whatever. But like the law, like my number one thing is like, don’t do things for cloud, like do them to like, I didn’t really write satiate your curiosity. So sat, vocab,

satiate your curiosity, but you will learn. Every experience. I’m a firm believer, like do it for the bit, do it for the plot line. It was good for the plot line. Like, honestly, it’s, it’s a tie. Um, I mean, yeah, I’m more over, this is what I tell my students and frequently is that like, there’s so many people, um, I I’m just to make a blanket assumption about our audience.

I’m assuming that many of you are these people, right? But you have the feeling, you have the needs to like, do something for college. [00:29:00] Take it off. If you don’t mind, if you don’t like NHS or you’re like, what does any chest or you’re like, I don’t know what I’m doing with NHS. Cut it. It’s gone finished. It’s not worth your time.

It’s not worth your effort. Right? Because what the college admissions process is going to eventually ask you to do as a junior, as a senior, is to write about why something’s important to you. And if the reason that something’s important to you is because you think it’s going to help you get into college.

A lot of students do community service because they think it’s gonna help them get into college. But if someone asks, why did you do community service in a college interview? And you say, Uh, cause I want to go to college. That’s a stupid answer. I hate to say it, but it’s a really terrible answer and they’re not going to get accepted.

Right. And all that can use service will be for not. So to that end, like Mona was saying focus on those things that you care about, focus on. Like what’s really important to you and the rest will come. Right. You just have to trust that in that process, don’t be worried about the rest. You have to have the prerequisite to get there.

Right. If that makes sense. Um, if you guys have questions, put them in the Q and a, but that’s like, yeah. It’s like the rant. [00:30:00] This is not like related to like.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Cause sometimes I feel like I go too hard, like do what you want. I feel like I don’t have to take math and I’m like, well, let’s bring it back. Let’s bring it back. Oh, I don’t know if they like want to go to, if you want to go to art school, I like to do bubble burst or you still have to take like your core subjects and art schools.

You do have to take your course. Yeah. Um, I would say that in terms of balancing academic success and personal growth and happiness is not something that I did very well in high school, frankly. Uh, um, I mean, I think that I went into high school with really, really high expectations and goals. And so because of that, I just like worked myself into the ground.

Um, which, you know, it, it worked, it worked in that like, you know, I got into Harvard, but like, it was still like not healthy and it wasn’t, um, You know, I don’t have very many friendships that have [00:31:00] lasted from high school because I think that I was like really involved in like what I was doing and not focusing on like cultivating those relationships.

And so to that end, like, don’t make the mistake that I did. Um, I would say that it’s more important to cultivate those relationships and like, you know, be happy and live your life than to go to an Ivy league school. Like, it’s great to go to Harvard, but I don’t think it’s worth, you know, just, just like spending four years being miserable, not to say that.

Yeah. I just feel so lucky that I came out of high school with like, like literal best friends, but like to that end with Finn, um, I feel like I also worked myself into the ground. Never available to like go to things like football games, basketball games, sports. Um, but I think the reason why I was able to make friends, like the difference was just because like early on freshman year, I was like, Hey, like, what are you wearing?

Do you want to go to the model? You went together. And like, now we’re like home friends because I was like, Hey, you want to do a model? You went together. I’m sure if you feel like you don’t have enough time to hang out with people, try and see if he can turn like the things you have to do into [00:32:00] like little social interactions, like studying for the test at lunch, um, crying after the test, you know, like everything’s going to experience everything you can share with other people.

If you want to Europe, you’ll be okay. Don’t you will be fine. It’ll be okay. Yeah. A lot.

really hydrated. How does your, how did your high school experience prepare you for college? So for me personally, um, I found that like you write in college, A lot, like, especially if you’re not in a stem major, like every classroom, you besides like studio arts classes and there’s writing, even in my sleep arts classes, there’s like a final paper.

There’s like research. Um, so for me, I was lucky enough that I like had a passion for writing in high school. I did a lot of journalism and just like English classes were like my favorite classes. Um, and so I was just very lucky in the sense that like I was prepared, writing-wise just cause I was like shocked, like how many papers you have to write?

Um, [00:33:00] and then I was also, as I said before, like very grateful that I enjoyed high school with a great group of friends. Um, and because I was able to like meet various people and like just sort of learn how to like talk. I felt like not super socially awkward in college. I don’t know the people around me could probably attest to that better, but I didn’t feel that awkward.

Um, and then for me personally, like high school was like weirdly a lot more stressful than college because. Like in high school, you have the goal. It’s like stressful, different ways, but in high school you have the goal of getting into college. So stressful because you’re trying to meet this goal, but then college, like you feel a little bit more free.

Like obviously if the goal is like, what am I going to do after graduation? Which like, what am I going to do after graduation? But, um, it was a lot more free in that you didn’t feel restricted. Like you had to do all these things to like, be approved by some like admissions committee. Um, so I think all that stress, like eventually led me to like handle stress a lot better in college.

Cause I was like, oh, and Ben, through there it was like, so. Yeah, exactly. I think I would agree. It’s like, um, my high school was really rigorous, you know, there was high [00:34:00] expectations. And so like, that was kind of what I was used to. So going into, into college, it was like, you know what? This is, we’ve done this rodeo.

We’ve been here, we’ve done this. Um, and moreover, right, like if that’s not your high school experience, it’s okay. If that’s not your college experience either. Right. And this can be something when you’re like looking for schools, this can be something that’s like acts as, as kind of like a north star in terms of guiding you, you know, if you want to call it where you’re going to be able to enjoy yourself in the way that, you know, a more relaxed high school would allow you to enjoy your.

That’s good information to know, and that’s okay. Right? Like you can still go on to have a successful life and a happy life and a successful career and a happy career. Right. Um, you know, inextricable from the, from the, you know, how high a pedigree college you go to. Um, I would say the other thing for me that my high school really did well.

Um, they. And this is a joining onto that like teachers as friends mentality, um, you know, like we were very much so encouraged to talk to our teachers, our teachers, [00:35:00] our teachers doors were always open. Right. You know, we had lots of clubs and they were led by the teachers, right? Like, you know, teacher interaction, student to teacher, not just teacher to student was very commonplace.

And so that’s something that I feel not very comfortable in college, being able to talk to my professors and, and offer opinions and offer insights and make jokes. And, you know, ultimately, you know, I’ve become friends with multiple. I was renting out the apartment a few months ago, the professors on my space, like I just don’t have like, like literally resurface.

And they were showing that it was like, cause there are people. Yeah, exactly. So not all your professors will be tilled with it, but like the good ones will be, you can suss it out. Cause you’ve already had the experience of like, you know, doing it in high school. So that’s what I would say anyway. Oh, how did your high school experience not prepare you for college?

So my high school actually had like a 50% graduation rate. Um, so there was like, actually not a lot of support for getting [00:36:00] into college. The only reason why I was obsessed with getting into college was because my parents, um, were coming from a standpoint of like telling me what they think I have to do.

Um, so in that sense, it was like a lot of self led research because like, my counselor was like more worried about like getting people to come to school rather than like getting people to like graduate from school. Um, but then in terms of like the actual experience, like while I did prepare myself for writing, I was never paid for stem at all.

I don’t know if that’s because I was not good at math and science or it was because my high school was not going to teach me math and science. Um, but they were just so rigorous. I got like literal CS. Um, that’s why I’m an art major now. And like, secondly, I think the thing that high school doesn’t really prepare you.

It’s like time management. Cause right now you’re like, okay, I go to school from seven 30 to four 30. I go to practice from like four 30 to six, come home, do my homework, like sleep, like eat to the meets on Saturdays. And it’s like, so you have like the schedule, but you get to college and you have to make your own schedule.

You have to keep track of your own deadlines. Like if you miss the deadline to register for classes, like you can’t take classes, but no one’s like going to [00:37:00] be on your back. Like, Hey, you’re going to register for classes. Like you’ve gotta be on your own back. Um, like there’s literally like fit. And I have been in the library.

I have a video of me and Finn and the library at four. Yeah. Reading a time management handout. Like I remember that, that was so funny. I was like, this is not helping me because we’re in here at like four yet. We were trying to like read about time management, but like we’re clearly not managing our time.

Yeah. So that’s the team. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, I would say actually jumping off the stem thing, I still did not prepare me for not liking math in college. Um, and so to that end, I just want to offer this as like, you can be convinced that you’re in love with a subject and that you’re gonna like be a professional in a subject.

I thought I was gonna be, I was going to thought I was going to be a joint major between theater and statistics. I was going to go into producing. It’s going to be wonderful. And then I took one statistics class literally wants to physics class, not even like, you know, one statistics course, [00:38:00] no one sitting of the class.

And I said, this is not for me.

So I was like in high school, I had really enjoyed it. And I, you know, there’s this whole pressure to kind of like move away from the fine arts, especially if you’re like going in for Ivy league education, which is its own thing. Right. But, um, all of you, if you want to take firearms classes, do it. Um, but, um, if, if you like, like, I didn’t take any like very, very few fine arts classes, um, as a high schooler.

And so I was taking a scenic design class, um, or like a class where we were like, you know, it was like theory of space, um, with this really cool professor and, and theater designer immediately. And, um, any of, you know, her, you should look her up anyway. That’s my, um, but like I was taking that class and then I was like in, um, an intro CS class and I took like one, one sitting of [00:39:00] the, um, Of the statistics class.

And I was like, oh, okay. It was as clear as day. I was like, I know where I need to be going. Yeah. For the rest of my life. I’m not going to like, leave me with Jack took me literally like two CS courses, one at MIT, two math courses. Cause I was trying, I was like, but maybe it will get better. It didn’t get better.

We get better. It just got worse. It just got harder. Yeah. The kids out there, we don’t want to discourage you from like good if you like stem do stem. Um, but, but with that, like be open to new life because if you are like, I’m going to be pre-med and then you get to college and you hate your bio glasses, listen to that.

Right. And if you get to college and you love your bio classes, listen to that too. Right? Like all of that is valid and important. So. Okay, I’ll move to the next light. Oh yeah. Um, okay. What advice would you give to students looking to succeed in high school? Um, oh my gosh. I just feel like I was, I was feeling stuck.

I would probably listen to like juice world or something while I was making these [00:40:00] slides. But I feel like the whole, like what people think about you. I think the earlier you learn to care less about what other things have you, the better off you’ll be in the long run. If you’re with people that you constantly care what they think about you, then like it, like, that’s not going to be comfortable space because like, you’ll be worrying about that more than your you’ll like all that time that you spend can be invested in yourself.

Um, and like, if you continue to be genuine and like not hide who you are, then you’ll find people with common interests. I think there’s like a running joke where it’s like people. You like, like things when you’re 13, you hide what you like until you’re 18. And then when you’re 19, you just like keep liking the things that you liked when you were 13.

So like high school never catch me dead play Neopets college. It’s my personality. And it’s like, if I had just embraced that earlier, I feel like I would have had a much better like time. Um, meaning genuine people were like now on the same team in Pokemon, it’s a crazy, um, which like if, if in high school where I’d care, what people thought you’d never catch me dead playing Pokemon, go I’m with those people that like, I ended up cutting out of my life, which is like, I don’t know, have an hour, um, [00:41:00] or not.

And then secondly, Finn, and I say this all the time. Don’t date in high school. No didn’t high school. Um, and then lastly, just want to reiterate, you are like never too old to start, whether you’re worried about like being too old or whether you’re worried about like what people think about you, because you’re beginning.

Everyone was a beginner at some point, like you can’t compare your like step one to someone’s like step 100 because everybody, everybody started somewhere. Um, and I think the worst thing is like, you don’t want to wake up tomorrow, wishing that you had started today. Like there’s so many, even like small things.

I’m like, oh, I wish I had like, responded to that email yesterday, but it’s also like, oh my God, I wish like I had, like, I don’t know, learned like piano, like five years ago, but like five years ago I was like, oh my God, I’m too old. And it’s like, no, no, no, you’re never too old. So that’s my thing. Um, so actually going on a tangent based on that last point, there’s this guy, Tim Ferris, who you may or may not know, I don’t really know much about him, but there’s this Ted talk about something he calls fear setting, which is basically [00:42:00] whenever you’re too afraid, afraid to try something, you set your feet.

Um, and you know, there’s a longer explanation of it. I would look it up, Tim Ferris, F E R R I S S um, fear setting, but I, I would recommend watching the whole video not sponsored. Um, but, uh, one of the things that he does is he’s like, okay, well, what are going to be the positive effects? You know, one week from now, one month from now, six months from now and a year from now, right?

Like if I started playing piano today, one week from now, I’m probably, you know, about the same at piano, but a month from now, maybe I’m a bit better six months for now, I’m probably considerably better. Right. And, and all I have to do to make that happen is to, to like, I mean, not all I have to do, but like the first step in making that happen, Yes starting today.

Right. And you’re going to get older, like regardless, like six months from now, you’re still, it’s like, you’re still going to be six months older. So do you want to be six months older? Like where you [00:43:00] are, do you want to be six months older doing something you want to do, but like I’m getting older regardless.

I might as well spend my time. Yeah. Yeah, totally. Um, so I would say for success for students like Ms to succeed in high school, I would say, uh, two things, try things out and keep your grades up. Um, in terms of trying things out. And I mean, this really extracurricularly, principally accidental curricularly too, but like really extracurricularly don’t be afraid to fail.

Right. Failure is growth in this case. Um, and so, you know, go out, you know, full speed ahead and hit a wall and that’s okay. You know, and then pick yourself up and try the next thing, you know, you’re really going to be successful if you can do that process because life is like, that’s just what life is.

And so then the other thing is you might find that you really love something. Um, but you won’t know that you love something before you try it. Um, and then in terms of keeping your grades up, this is the one instance where failure is [00:44:00] growth does not apply. Don’t fail your classes, do poorly in your classes, your academics are important.

Um,

but like, you know, if you’re going into it, you know, you have, you have the choice, you have the ability to, to not do it. And so, you know, given that option, um, yes, Okay. Okay. Next slide. Next slide. Um, oh my gosh. motive for those of you that are still here. I think we lost a couple of people, which is fine.

You casualties, but, um, if you like your news talk fit, and I actually host CollegeAdvisor.com YouTube channel, that’s like actually a primary role, primary role in the company is to like kind of foster this community on YouTube. Um, so like we crammed like so many topics into the short webinar, but we actually have like an expanded YouTube video on like everything we talk about today and more, um, don’t they in high school, that’s like a whole [00:45:00] five minutes section of one of our videos now.

Yeah, just show me other things. And also if you guys have any things that you want us to cover, um, we, like, we literally will do it since we worked at this company to do so. And we’re like passionate. Um, just say, but please comment on them. Cause they’re like reading the comments and responding. So I like reading stomach, the comments I like to from all, even the comments.

I think they’re funny haters back off anyway. I’ll say next slide. Yeah. It’s fun. It’s a fun time. If you want more of this energy on hinged on hinge to still be professional. Yeah. So this is the end of the presentation part of the webinar. I hope you found this information helpful and remember that you can download the slides from the link in the handouts.

Moving on to the live Q and a I’ll read through questions you submitted in the Q and a tab, paste them in the public chat. [00:46:00] So you can see and then read them out loud before our panelists, give you an answer as a heads up. If your Q and a tab, isn’t letting you submit questions. Double check that you’ve joined the webinar through the custom link in your email and not from the webinar landing page.

Okay. Our first question is how many extracurriculars and clubs did you participate in and how many do you suggest? And is it hard to start a new group? I mean, there’s no like solid formula. I think with all these journeys, a lot of people tend to ask like what we did, but if you do what we did, like there’s no, like you can do exactly what I did.

And like, you can get denied from everywhere. I applied to that’s just the T, but personally, I don’t remember how many, okay. I don’t remember how many clubs I did because like, it’s honestly all repressed now, but I do remember starting clubs and it’s not that hard. Like for my school person, you literally just need to get a teacher to sign on super easy.

If your friends would want, and then you need people to be interested and you also have to like what you’re doing. So I started a club, um, but it was just because I was like, yo, like you want to start this club? Oh bet. And then I asked my teacher and they’re like, [00:47:00] yeah, let’s do it. And you just fill out some forms.

Um, but as long as you, like what you’re doing, it should be pretty easy. Yeah.

I in high school did a lot of theater. I did robotics. I did student council. I did a, like a little bit of tutoring and a little, I did Frisbee club. I made Frisbee, but it was like those three main things. Right. It was three primary pieces. So like, to that end, you do not need 10 extracurricular seats. Um, I would say in terms of starting club, like Frisbee club was a club that I started in ninth grade note.

Like I started this before I was thinking about college. I just know I started in eighth grade, um, before I was thinking about college because I just wanted to play Frisbee with my friends. So genuine. That’s literally so genuine. Um, yeah. Oh, I will say I did a lot of, oh, I would just say that I did a lot of clubs where they intersected.

Cause I was like trying to craft this narrative, which came out naturally. I like was really into journalism. And so like what popped off of that? [00:48:00] Like in order to like, be good at journalism, I was like, okay. I also have to do public speaking and like relations. I did mommy UN, um, and like, just like a bunch of other, like little things here and there, like writing for my local paper and just like things that connected with like what I want to do that eventually like naturally formed this narrative that I was like some storyteller and I was like, cool.

Okay. And you are, you are, and you’ll see the stories that we tell on our YouTube channel. I would say. Um, there’s like, yeah, no one formula and like, do what you’re passionate about. You know, like, like I really liked theater, so I did a ton of it, you know, and it wasn’t anything where I felt like I was doing it for college.

Like I kind of realized later on, um, you know, my junior, senior year, I was like, oh, the fact that I’m doing this is helpful, but I think that I would have done it anyway. Maybe not to like the same degree, but like I would have done theater anyway, had I not. So to that end, like if you’re like, okay, well I need to be participating.

I said this earlier, if I need to be participating in NHS to get into [00:49:00] college, you don’t actually, it’s going to hurt your chances. So just like, you know, do what you want to be doing, do what you want to be doing. And that’s, what’s going to get you in. Um, yes. Some of the things I’ve heard from admissions officers is like, depth is much more important than having being in 15 clubs.

They know you probably don’t care about any of those. You’re like, oh, I really care about these three classes. Um, and I think the, the biggest thing I’ve heard in terms of from multiple admissions officers is they’re not trying to just build an academic pool. They’re trying to build a community where people are going to be successful.

Yeah. Well, rounded class over like well-rounded people. So as opposed to having everyone be good at like everything, instead of having everyone be good at everything, they’re like, okay, we want Ramona to be a theater kid at a stem kid. They’re like, Hey, we’ve got the theater kid fan, we’ve got the stem and it like Brian, you know, so well glass versus well-rounded people.

Yeah. So I think [00:50:00] also you can, oh, sorry, go ahead. Oh no, no, go ahead. I was just going to say like, you can find online, um, the Harvard admissions reading packet. So how the admissions officers are coached and trained, um, to look at your application file. Okay. On the extracurricular scale, basically like the highest that you can get is like extreme passion and achievements in one or more extracurriculars.

Right. But it’s one or more, it could just be one, you could be amazing at one thing and that’s enough, right? That is enough. Um, so don’t, you know, try to, you know, Jacko Jack of all trades master of none. Okay. Our next question is what makes writing essays easy? Listening to really sad music while you do it.

I mean, literally I’m telling y’all like you got to go claim and unpack that baggage to the carousel sex. Like the first essay you write will be garbage, um, like 99% of the time. And it’s because you are trying to [00:51:00] write what you think people want to read. Um, and you’re not really writing, like, I just feel like you don’t want to take the risk and like being vulnerable, but like my best essays came like 2:00 AM crying, probably listening to these worlds, not going to lie, like sad piano.

Um, cause it’s just like the feelings that you have, like when you are vulnerable, like that is when you’re most authentic. And if you can write about that, like great. Not everybody has to take like a vulnerable angle though. Like if you’re like comedic, you can definitely do that too. But for me, it’s just like, when you really allow yourself to be authentic and you.

Like try and like, get like you don’t try and write something that someone wants to read. Okay. Yeah. Also, so building on that, I, every time I started to say personal narrative or even academic essay, the first album I listened to is Adele’s 25. I listened to it front to back while I’m writing everything.

I know it’s so good.

I can’t recommend it enough adults twenty-five but then [00:52:00] the other thing, in terms of like essay writing, I assume that you mean like college essay writing? Um, I would say, like I found a lot of, um, luck writing on trains, um, because you are forced, right? Like an, I didn’t did not have a lot of cellular in my cell phone plan as a kid.

I still don’t. Um, so like I had no way to access the outside world. It was me and my essay and that was it. Like there’s no escape. Um, and then the. So two other things. Uh, one thing that I do with my students all the time, I have a series of like open prompts that I will give them. And then I ask them to free, right?

So I’ve asked them to free write for 10 or 15 minutes straight. They junk you. Like, all you want to do is you want to write by hand, write on a computer, or even just speak into a voice recording. And you want to be writing constantly, no revisions. Even if you have poor grammar, even if you’re making spelling mistakes, just write straight, you know, straight through, um, until the, that, that like 10 or 15 minute period is up because you want the writing to lead [00:53:00] you, you want to figure out what you want to write about and trying to be too prescriptive about it is not going to work.

Um, so I would recommend that’s a great starting place. And then the other thing is like what makes writing essays easier? The, the, the process of writing an essay and it is a process isn’t really in the writing. It’s in the. Right. My se took me out. Right. Not learn that. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It took me four months to write my college essay because I just wasn’t satisfied with it.

And I would, you know, like I got it to a point that like, you know, the people who are helping me look at it were like, oh yeah, they think this is good. And I was like, Hmm, Nope, not quite it. And then I would take it back and then I would make more edits. And it just, you know, it got better and better and better and better.

And then occasionally got worse and then we’d pull back. But, but it’s that process of revising and going into it again and again and again, right? Like everyone tells you that this, the college essay is not an SAP can write in one night and it’s not, and don’t try, we do it. [00:54:00] Right. It’s going to be like straight boots.

And that’s part of the process too, right? Like that’s okay. It’s allowed, it’s it’s supposed to happen that way. You gotta get like all the bad stuff out before you can, you know? Right. Exactly. Um, okay. Also really quickly, I’m seeing a lot of questions and getting questions about, like, what were your, like how many APS did you take?

What were your sat scores, blah, blah, blah. And just to broadly answer all those questions in one go. Um, I think what a lot of people don’t talk about is context, which has been an, I like talk about all the time, but context means that you are evaluated under the circumstances you were given. So if I tell you, I got like an 1130 on my sat, which I did, you might be like, oh shit, that’s like so low.

Like, how did you get into Harvard? And it’s like, well, contextually, that was probably a good score for me because 50% of my school doesn’t graduate. I had like several part-time jobs, like first generation, low income, whatever, like so many things contributed. And it’s like, how you play the cards you were dealt is like how you’re evaluated.

Not [00:55:00] like they’re not evaluating everyone on the same scale. So it’s kind of like my, if you get like a perfect 36, that can look really good. If like no one at your school has ever done that before. Like you studied while that’s a part-time jobs, but at the same time, If you have a perfect 36, but like you’re really rich.

You can afford tutoring. Everybody at your school has a 36, you have classes and clubs and your school to help you prep. That doesn’t mean as much. Um, and like, this is, I just, just go so far, like with context, like what are you doing to, to like take the opportunities that you have also, what are you doing to create them for yourself?

Um, a great thing is viewed in context, everything is, everything is viewed in context. So conduct is like so important, which is why we’re trying to stress. Like there’s no formula. Um, yeah, we can meet the Orlando’s question. I really liked that one. Yes we can. What makes high school. Yeah, I like that one. I just want to, I want to focus on like the fact that high school should be [00:56:00] fun and not all about work.

Um, because I think for me, what made high school fun was like spending time with friends and doing my extracurriculars that I loved. Right. And, and that’s like, what makes high school? The most fun is just like doing what you want to do and like enjoying yourself. Um, right. Like you were always going to have classes that you don’t want, but if you can find the teachers who you are friends with and, you know, take classes with your friends, take classes that you’re interested in.

That’s what’s going to make high school good for you. Um, and ultimately that’s, what’s going to make college a bit for you, but I also just wanted to like, highlight that question, because I think that it’s like really important to note that high school isn’t all work. It is also fun, right? Like, you know, it should be.

Yeah, I wish they had recess in high school. I would say recess. We need it right. Free period. I guess, free period. Yeah. High school. I had no problem made high school flat and just like the things that you’d like, like another tick-tock hole for everyone, but it’s like, we didn’t know [00:57:00] we were making memories.

We just thought we were having fun. So I think looking back things that made high school fun was just like doing whatever. And then when you look back, you’re like, oh, that was like a memory that was like getting ready with like prom sucks. But getting ready with your friends was like the best part. Um, it’s often like the journey rather than like the final destination.

Um, so as long as you like put yourself out there while also like, you know, not like not doing things you don’t want to do, but trying to. Yeah. Okay. We’re going to take a mini break in the middle of this, and I want to let you know what you can do if you would like to work with one of our advisors from our team of over 155 advisors and admissions officers, like the wonderful Finn and Mona, um, you can sign up for a free consultation with us by going to CollegeAdvisor.com and clicking the green chat button in the bottom, right of the screen from there, just write in consultation and a live team member will get back to you to coordinate your free consultation with us.

Okay. Back to the Q and a, I cannot wait, can I add one thing to that quick? [00:58:00] Just noticing they’re like way more questions we’re going to be able to answer. And those like, life coordinators are going to be able to help you answer those questions no matter what, like they are mission specialists. So if you have more questions, like those are great people to reach out to a hundred percent.

So yeah, that’s all. That’s my soap box. Okay. Let’s look at. Oh, sorry. The question went away. Um,

oh, our next question is advice for time management with school, social life and extracurriculars. I’m sorry. I said what’s that triangle where it’s like,

like, you got to pick two. It’s like you have the majority of time, you will be picking two. And for me, like that was sleep. But like, I think time management, you got y’all [00:59:00] like, I know that screen time is so high. Like you think you don’t have time, but like you, everyone has time. They just prioritize it differently.

And the amount of time, like you spend like picking up your phone, like you can get something that tells you how many times you picked up your phone and it’s crazy. How many times did you do it in an hour? If you find yourself like online shopping too much during zoom classes, get a blocker for some stuff to delete, to talk first, you have to delete Instagram, Snapchat, whatever.

Like that was the only thing that worked for me in high school was like physically getting rid of everything that like forced me to do time. And then the second thing is, um, For me. I like to say, like, if it takes two minutes, just do it. Like, there’s no reason you should be like putting off for spice that you know, for your teacher, if it takes literally 30 seconds, like have you can do it while you’re like in the bathroom, like you should, you should be able to not put it off for like days.

Cause then they pile up and then you have to do them all at once. I’m like you miss deadlines. I’m so if it takes two minutes, do it and like, like force yourself to get off your screens. I feel like, I feel like I’m like get off my lawn and like, it’s like, literally like, that’s it that’s good. So I would take an even more [01:00:00] extreme stance than Mona.

I didn’t have a phone for two years up until last month because I found it’s distracting. Right. And there’s no value that’s provided by going on Instagram or like you’re, you’re thinking to yourself as I’m seeing this, oh, I’m going to miss so much, you know, there’s so much that’s happening on Instagram.

There isn’t there. You’re not gonna miss anything. So get rid of it. I’m trying to build like your art portfolio on Instagram. It’s like truly integral to you, which is like very small percentile. Josh to lead it, but like, you do not need to be following like the person who you don’t care, you know, like, like the per your lab partner on Snapchat stories in high school.

Come on. We told you this, the people, if you feel like you’ll lose touch with people, the people who are meant to stay will be there regardless of whether you text them every day. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, I would say in terms of time management with school, social life and extracurriculars, um, in terms of the college application process, I don’t, you know, I’m not going to pretend as though I know the answer for time management, physical, social life next to curriculum, [01:01:00] and that’s something I think it’s, you have to like figure out yourself because it’s different for every person.

I will say that for the college admissions process, um, your academics are just about as important as your extracurriculars for a lot of like top schools. And so to that end do not neglect your extracurriculars for, you know, to, to, to foreground your school, um, because that will not serve you ultimately like as well as you want it to.

Um, your extracurriculars are just as important, you know, they’re as important of a part, um, of your profile as. Yeah, everything else. Oh yeah. And Mona, great shout out. Uh, after CollegeAdvisor.com is a great free tool to manage all of your deadlines for college applications for the college application process gives you like an overview.

And, um, our team is working on, uh, adding just like a bit more functionality into it in terms of like, getting a sense of like what each college is like. Um, so check it out. It is completely free to use and to make a profile and, and [01:02:00] yeah. That’s yeah, yeah. Like this, even if I wasn’t affiliated with CollegeAdvisor, like just to be clear, like it’s so like, I literally wish I had one for like my life actually saying.

Okay. Okay. So I think that, that looks like that is time. Uh, thank you everyone so much for coming out tonight and Mona and think then thank you so much for presenting. It was wonderful. Having both. Um, just wonderful being here. Yeah. So this is the end of the webinar. We had a great time telling you about adjusting the high school and here is the rest of our July series.

So tomorrow we have choosing high school classes. Wow. Awesome. I know we have so many good that literally go to all these I’m going to go to.